Call on the red carpet, haul over the coals | English idioms

To call someone down is to berate, scold or reprimand them.

• The manager called down the employee for missing the deadline.

English has several idioms with the same meaning.

Take to task

To take someone to task is to scold them.

• If you don’t do your homework, your teacher will take you to task.

Fulminate against

To fulminate against somebody is to issue a verbal attack against them.

• The opposition fulminated against the minister’s decision to appoint his nephew as his personal secretary.

Call on the red carpet

To call somebody on the red carpet is to reprimand them.

• If I miss another deadline, my manager will call me on the red carpet.

Haul over the coals / rake over the coals

To haul somebody over the coals is to scold them severely.

• My father hauled me over the coals for failing my exam.

Give a tongue-lashing to

To give a tongue-lashing to somebody is to scold them severely.

• The manager gave me a tough-lashing for coming late again.